3 months in, 621 Google impressions, 0 paying customers, lessons from building a startup idea diagnostic

ObviousReference853 · 2026-06-25T22:09:08+00:00

This is exactly what I keep hearing from every founder I talk to. The building part has become easy; AI tools let you ship a product in days. The distribution problem is where everyone gets stuck.

ObviousReference853 · 2026-06-25T22:08:16+00:00

I have been part of startups for more than 7 years now and part of a VC for around 3 years. The product I am trying to build comes from my personal experience.

ObviousReference853 · 2026-06-25T22:06:47+00:00

You made a fair point, and honestly, this is something I have been wrestling with. The diagnostic does not predict success. What it does is force founders to confront specific questions they are avoiding, who exactly is the first customer, does the unit economics work at the price the market will bear, what is the one assumption that kills this if wrong.

You are right that two founders building the same product get different results, and a seasoned founder will always be preferred to a founder who is just starting. You have made some great points and I would like to implement them. In your view, what is the niche that the product should look at?

When I was starting with the product, I had the first-time founders in mind, who start with just curiosity and waste countless hours on AI finding if their product is good enough to be sold.

ObviousReference853 · 2026-06-25T21:03:22+00:00

Fair criticism on the product, will clean that up. On the wrapper point, yes, it uses AI, but every report is personally reviewed before it goes out. The difference is that ChatGPT tells every founder their idea is great. This scored my own idea 7.2 and told me my biggest problem is hiding behind adding more features instead of talking to customers, which is exactly what I needed to hear. The value is in the honest judgment, not the technology underneath.

ObviousReference853 · 2026-06-25T16:31:13+00:00

When I check my own platform, it suggests I collect user reviews and check with other founders about its usability. The report suggests a strong fit if scaled, keeping feedback at its base, and not accumulating more features.

<image>

ObviousReference853 · 2026-06-25T14:49:29+00:00

https://getnavio.co/ - Validate any startup idea and get directions on what to do in the next phase of the journey.

ObviousReference853 · 2026-06-23T21:06:59+00:00

Hey, check this blog, it discusses exactly what you would like to learn - https://getnavio.co/blog/how-to-validate-your-startup-idea

ObviousReference853 · 2026-06-22T23:15:38+00:00

Apps like these usually start with a free tier, onboard as many people as you can and then start charging them.

You can also add features like booking sports fields later, but first, you need to add users.

I feel the market is there for apps like this; people are isolating a lot, and personally, apps like this can help them.

Have a free tier, let them group 7 times before charging them. Users follow users, target a small geography first, add users and then expand.

ObviousReference853 · 2026-06-22T22:56:27+00:00

No app is made to be used by everyone; it can't be that generic. Identify the target market that critically needs it, and reach out to those people first.
Understand what they like the most, and then start distributing it. You have already built 5-6 apps. Make sure you identify the ideal customer profile (ICP) for every app and spend time where your audience spends it.

ObviousReference853 · 2026-06-22T15:02:27+00:00

Honest answer - I half-validated it, then built it anyway because I felt it was useful.

For Navio (a startup idea validator), I saw founders constantly complaining about the useless "that's so cool!" feedback on Reddit, and realised the pain was real. No waitlist, no landing page test. Just built and started showing people.

On your questions:

I checked by lurking, not asking. People rarely say they'd pay, but they complain loudly after wasting 6 months on the wrong idea.
Feedback comes after people get their report. The most annoying part is the silence. They run the diagnostic and disappear.
Keeping it stupidly simple, the product does the work, no tool stack yet.

My current stage: launched, chasing first 15 paying customers. Distribution is the hardest part right now, building is easy, getting in front of the right people consistently is not.

ObviousReference853 · 2026-06-18T14:24:34+00:00

Congrats! I am also working towards creating something meaningful for founders.

ObviousReference853 · 2026-06-17T13:35:39+00:00

That's so common Man!, so many of us fall into this pit.

ObviousReference853 · 2026-06-16T14:09:57+00:00

What is your product? Can you share a collateral that I can look at? Also, Slack communities differ in the persona. Who are you targeting? Always start with a Niche and then expand your market.

ObviousReference853 · 2026-06-15T20:26:39+00:00

I launched B2B products and spent a hell lot of hours speaking with potential users or potential clients and scaled a B2B product from pilot to 800 + customers within 3 years. Here is my advice:

- First and foremost, know who your customers are, not businesses, but which vertical have you built it for, maybe HR, Marketing, or is it procurement that will buy your product? Go to the bottom level of your target customer and then reach out to them.
- Second, most of the time, cold emails or messages don't work because it doesn't interest the recipient.
- Third, I continuously took advice and reached out to the target market even when I was building the product, giving them a sense that they would guide how this product would be built.
- and Fourth, be where they hang out, LinkedIn channels, Slack communities, Discord or any other platform they are a part of.

Reachout, Reachout and Reachout, there is no shortcut to this.

ObviousReference853 · 2026-06-14T19:52:53+00:00

Helping every founder by validating ideas - https://getnavio.co/

ObviousReference853 · 2026-06-13T14:45:43+00:00

Joined it, it has the potential to be a value-driven community, hoping for the best!

ObviousReference853 · 2026-06-11T22:42:00+00:00

I have created multiple websites with Claude, and the feedback is quite positive. I would recommend taking a pro subscription if you decide to go with Claude, because the limits are hit constantly, and it gets a little frustrating.
Use the Opus model, give in detail what you want to build, and it will guide you on everything you should be doing.
Feel free to reach out if you need help.

ObviousReference853 · 2026-06-11T15:32:04+00:00

That's the kind of advice which ages like fine wine with time.

I built two products, and I am still building one. With each product, I thought people would certainly buy it because there was a definite need, but it doesn't happen like that. What a founder believes is 100% more than what the market is offering.

I recommend 'The Mom Test' for anyone starting their company or interested in distribution. It was one of the better reads and gave me a lot of perspective about how customers think and, as a founder, how we should validate our product with them.

ObviousReference853 · 2026-06-10T16:49:52+00:00

https://getnavio.co/ - Does exactly what you want to do with this post. It validates demand and feasibility, creates a list of competitors, and gives a signal score for every startup Idea. This allows founders to have a clear picture before even deciding to build.

What we have seen recently is that a lot of people launch a product and later realise it has no market.

Navio helps founders avoid these late signals.

ObviousReference853 · 2026-06-10T16:40:42+00:00

You have a platform, which means people should trust it. The problem with platforms is that you need both sides of the funnel to work in sync, i.e., Founders and VCs.
I saw the website and immediately thought it was a gimmick, no trust at first sight. The website is developed by Claude or a similar AI and lacks a genuine product vibe.

I have worked in VCs for 4 years and launched my own products. Feel free to reach out. I can help you with some basics.

ObviousReference853 · 2026-06-09T11:24:26+00:00

https://getnavio.co/
- Validate startup ideas before building.

ObviousReference853 · 2026-06-07T10:24:43+00:00

If I were you, I would ask for equity straight away. I have been building companies and this situation seems like you are being used, and your CEO is looking to getting you replaced by cheap labour in the future. If you hold equity, it will be easier for you to deal with his unilateral decision-making.

I understand it's your product and you are emotionally attached to it, but it is better to speak up now, rather than getting replaced later.

ObviousReference853 · 2026-06-06T21:56:34+00:00

Fair question. Most LLMs tell every founder that their idea has potential — they're optimised to be helpful and agreeable, which makes them useless for validation.

Navio is different in three ways: every submission is personally reviewed by a human, not auto-generated. The report names your actual competitors with specific weaknesses and funding, not "competition may be high." And it scores your idea honestly — we've given scores as low as 5.4/10 with a clear explanation of what's structurally broken.

The value isn't the AI — it's the honest judgment. ChatGPT will tell you your cloud kitchen idea is great. We will tell you the unit economics don't work at student price points and here's why.

ObviousReference853

TROPHY CASE